THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016 SPORTS

Kuwait trap team wins gold at Arab Shooting Championship

By Abdellatif Sharaa Cairo. Egypt’s minister of youth and the African and Egypt Shooting ing in the championship that will con- Khalaf Al-Otaibi, as well as the signifi- sports Eng Khalid Abdelaziz opened Federations Maj General Hazimi Hosni tinue until April 4th. He wished them cant development it made across the KUWAIT: Kuwait’s double trap team the championship earlier in the week. and other guests attended the ceremo- great success and a pleasant stay in Arab world. He also lauded the sup- won the gold medal, while Hamad Al- President of the Arab and Kuwait ny, along with shooters and ambassa- Egypt. porting role of Kuwait in Arab shooting. Afasi won the individual double trap Shooting Federations Eng Duaij Khalaf dors of the participating countries. Maj Meanwhile, Egypt’s Minister of He also thanked the Arab Shooting competition during the 12th Arab Al-Otaibi, President of Egypt Olympic Gen Hazim Hosni said 422 shooters Youth and Sports lauded the Arab Federation and Egypt’s Federation for Shooting Championship being held in Committee Hisham Hatab, President of from 17 Arab countries are participat- shooting and its President Eng Duaij, Organizing the championship in Egypt.

Top-ranked Djokovic struggles to reach Miami open quarters

MIAMI: World number one Novak great out there.” Djokovic was struggling to play his best, Up next for Nishikori, who won his but held firm when pressed to the brink fourth consecutive Memphis crown last Tuesday and battled into the ATP and month, is French 16th seed Gael Monfils, WTA Miami Open quarter-finals. The two- who rallied past Bulgarian 26th seed time defending champion outdueled Grigor Dimitrov 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-3. “He is Austrian 14th seed Dominic Thiem 6-3, 6- playing really well,” Nishikori said. “He is a 4, stretching his Miami win streak to 13 fun player to play against and we will matches to book a last-eight date have a good match.” Nishikori won their Wednesday against Czech seventh seed only prior meeting in 2014 on Halle Tomas Berdych. grass. “Straight set win but far from easy. It “Kei is a good player, very consistent, was a tough match,” Djokovic said. “I and he has a win over me,” Monfils said. kept my serves. But I made a lot of dou- “It will be a great match.” Only one of the ble faults and he had me under a lot of world’s top 12 women, second-ranked pressure.” Djokovic, a five-time Miami Angelique Kerber, is still playing after winner overall, rescued 13 of 14 break Romanian fifth seed Simona Halep was points, four of them in the last game of ousted 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 by 19th-ranked Swiss the first set and four more in a dramatic Timea Bacsinszky. 14-minute final game before hitting a “To beat someone who fights as hard forehand winner on his fourth match- as she does, it’s something amazing,” point opportunity. Bacsinszky said. “I’m happy with it.” The “I had some luck in that last game 2015 French Open semi-finalist will play where he missed a couple of easy fore- for a berth in the final against Russian hands to get the break back and get into 15th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 30- the match,” Djokovic said. “I stayed tough year-old two-time Grand Slam winner when it was most needed. The important who ousted top-ranked defending moments I tried to make him play, make champion Serena Williams in the third him run.” Djokovic won his 11th Grand round. Kuznetsova, the 2006 Miami Slam title two months ago at the champion, beat Russian 30th seed Australian Open and has also lifted Doha Ekaterina Makarova 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 6-3. and Indian Wells trophies this year while “Just kept fighting,” Kuznetsova said. “I Thiem captured titles last month at was feeling low in energy but I tried to MONTREAL: Goaltender Mike Condon #39 of the Montreal Canadiens makes a pad save while teammate Nathan Beaulieu #28 defends against Acapulco and Buenos Aires. hang in there.” Kyle Quincey #27 of the Detroit Red Wings during the NHL game at the Bell Centre. — AFP The 28-year-old Serbian made eight double faults and 29 unforced errors Kyrgios to face Raonic against only two aces and eight winners. Australian 24th seed Nick Kyrgios, the Red Wings on the bubble to “The second serve was not working that youngest top-30 ATP player at age 20, well. That was due to the pressure he was reached the quarter-finals with a 7-6 imposing. I just didn’t have the rhythm,” (7/3), 6-3 victory over Russia’s 51st- Djokovic said. “Generally I don’t get to ranked Andrey Kuznetsov. The Aussie extend postseason streak face that many break points. I’ll try not to never trailed in the tie-breaker and took get myself in those positions as much.” the only break of the second set when DETROIT: Riley Sheahan was not born the last the franchise. Hall of Famer Nicklas Lidstrom, 19-year-old rookie Dylan Larkin, the team’s only Kuznetsov double faulted away the time the Detroit Red Wings failed to make the one of the top defenseman in league history, All-Star this season. Growing up in Michigan, he ‘Felt great’ fourth game. playoffs in 1990. In fact, the 24-year-old forward started his 20-season run with the team a season has no idea what it’s like to see the Red Wings Berdych outlasted French 10th seed Kyrgios, off to a career-best 13-3 start is one of nine players on the Red Wings’ roster later. Four years after retirement, he can reflect end their year when the regular season ends. Richard Gasquet 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, but has that includes his first ATP title last month that wasn’t alive back then. Sheahan, and his on the streak much more than he did as a player. “I think everyone is aware of the streak and won only two of 24 meetings with at Marseille, next plays Canadian 12th teammates, young and old, desperately hope to “When you look at other teams over that everyone in the league knows about it, so Djokovic, having lost their past nine seed Milos Raonic, who ripped Bosnian fare well enough in the final five games of the span, a lot of them have been going through there’s no hiding from it,” Larkin said. “But it’s regular season to avoid the dubious distinction rebuilding processes and have a chance to start not going to help us right now. We’ve got to matches since a 2013 Rome quarter-final Damir Dzumhur 6-0, 6-3. Raonic owns a of being a part of a streak-busting team. over so to speak,” Lidstrom wrote in an e-mail earn it. It would be nice to be part of the victory. They are the only top-10 men still 2-1 rivalry edge but this will be their first “We’ve talked a few times about not wanting earlier this week. “But the Wings have been able streak. In my first year, I’ve realized how tough playing except for Japanese sixth seed match outside the Grand Slams. He won to be on that roster that doesn’t make the play- to find new talent and still make the playoffs it is to earn a spot and it’s going to be a dog Kei Nishikori, who downed Spanish 17th in 2014 at the French Open and offs,” Sheahan said. Detroit took a step back in its every year.” One of those new talents has been fight until the end.” — AP seed Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 6-4. “I Wimbledon but lost to Kyrgios last year quest to extend the franchise’s postseason played really well,” Nishikori said. “I felt at Wimbledon. —AFP streak to 25 on Tuesday night, losing a third-peri- od lead in a 4-3 setback at Montreal. The Red Wings are a point behind the Boston Korean slugger Byung Ho Bruins for the third and final guaranteed spot from the Atlantic Division. Detroit is tied with settles into a majors life Philadelphia for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference, but the Flyers have two FORT MYERS: Byung Ho Park sat at his locker in his final two years, including a career-best more game to earn up to four more points. The in the Minnesota Twins’ spring training club- 53 with a league-record 146 RBI’s in 2015. He Red Wings’ run is the tied for the fourth longest house, sipping a cup of iced coffee, oiling a also posted personal highs in games (140), at in NHL history, one shy of St Louis’ streak from first baseman’s glove and interacting with bats (528), runs (129), hits (181), doubles (35), 1980 to 2004. It is longer than the combined teammates. He’s relaxed. There’s no hint of batting average (.343) and slugging percent- active streaks Pittsburgh (nine), Chicago (seven) anxiety, which would be natural considering age (.714). Minnesota, hoping to add some and the New York Rangers (five) had entering the challenge he faces. power to the middle of the lineup, envisions the season. Instead, the Korean slugger is excited about Park as a DH and backup first baseman behind The San Antonio Spurs have clinched a spot making the transition from his native home- Joe Mauer. The Twins paid Nexen $12.83 mil- in a 19th straight postseason, the longest active land to the major leagues. His goal is to make lion for negotiating rights and signed the slug- streak in the NBA. New England and Green Bay noise with his bat while quietly going about ger to a four-year, $12 million contract in have the best active playoff streaks in the NFL at his business off the field and getting acclimat- December. “He’s fit in really well. He’s had a seven years each. In baseball, the St. Louis ed to life more than 7,500 miles from Seoul. He good camp,” Molitor said. “We’re seeing a guy Cardinals have been in the postseason the previ- likes the warm Florida weather that greeted who’s been around. He’s played a lot of base- ous five years for the longest current run. him at his first big league camp this spring. He ball, and the confidence he had as a Korean Buffalo Sabres coach Dan Bylsma, who is from hasn’t given much thought to how cold it can player, we’ve seen it begin to transfer over Michigan, has watched the Red Wings’ run close- get in Minnesota in the middle of winter, here. Every day is kind of a learning experience ly. He was playing hockey for Bowling Green as it though that reality is coming. for him right now.” began and he coached Pittsburgh against the The Twins hired a full-time translator to Red Wings in the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals when help the two-time Korean Baseball On and off the field they was a win away from winning it all for a fifth Organization MVP deal with a language barrier Park’s wife, Ji Yoon Yi, and son, Seung Ri time during the streak. that Park is diligently working to overcome. Park, will move to the U.S. after the regular The 29-year-old’s English is far from perfect - season begins. But outside of acknowledging On the verge but he is making strides communicating with those plans, the slugger - a national hero and “It seems like they’ve been a contending teammates, coaches and manager Paul Molitor instantly recognizable back home in South team my whole life,” Bylsma said Monday night. and felt comfortable enough to conduct his Korea - is reluctant to talk much about what he “It’s hard to wrap my head around it to provide first interview in English without translator JD likes to do when he leaves the ball park. “My context, knowing the second-longest streak in Kim. Hand gestures had to be used at times to family will come to Minnesota,” Park began the league is going on 10 years.” Red Wings gen- communicate with Park, who sometimes had before politely cutting the answer short. “I eral manager Ken Holland, who has led the front to be paraphrased but was able to express want privacy. Understand? ... Sorry.” office since 1997 and been a part of the organi- himself well with short responses. Park is joining the majors a year after for- zation for 33 seasons, said the storied franchise “I’m very excited,” Park told The Associated mer Nexen teammate Jung Ho Kang made his has maintained the streak even after it had to Press, a smile spreading across his face. big league debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates, retool during the salary cap because of one key “Everybody’s nice. Teammates, coaches make hitting .287 with 15 homers and 58 RBIs. While reason. “We’ve had a lot of great players,” time to help me.” The infielder/designated hit- the two of them remain close, Park said he Holland said. ter is not a typical rookie. Park turns 30 on July hasn’t relied on Kang - still recovering from a Steve Yzerman was arguably in the prime of 10 and comes to the majors after spending knee injury suffered while turning a double his Hall of Fame career when the streak started nine seasons in the KBO, most of the past five play against the Chicago Cubs last September MIAMI: Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, returns to Dominic Thiem during their match at in 1991, and future Hall of Famer Sergei Fedorov with the Nexen Heroes. He hit 105 home runs - to be a mentor.—AP the Miami Open tennis tournament. — AP was a rookie, beginning his 13-season run with